XN000022-1985-12-04 — Page 6

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1985

+SO FOR ANY CHILD OF A FORMER BDTC BORN ON OR AFTER JULY 1, 1997, THE GRANDCHILD OF A FORMER BDTC WILL HAVE AN ENTITLEMENT TO REGISTER AS A BOC WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF HIS BIRTH.

+THUS THE DRAFT ORDER IN COUNCIL PROVIDES FOR A FORM OF BRITISH NATIONALITY TO BE GRANTED TO FORMER BDTC'S, TO THE IR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN IF THEY WOULD OTHERWISE BE STATELESS.

+BUT THE CHINESE BDTC'S AND BDTC'S WHO ARE NOT OF CHINESE ORIGIN WILL HAVE A RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG AFTER 1997 PROVIDED THAT THEY SATISFY THE CONDITIONS FOR ACQUISITION OF RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG SAR IN THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION, AND IN ADDITION SIR, ARTICLE 7 OF THE CHINESE NATIONAL ITY LAW MAKES PROVISIONS FOR ALIENS TO ACQUIRE CHINESE NATIONALITY, HE SAID.

TURNING TO HOLDERS OF CERTIFICATES OF IDENTITY, MR THOMAS SA ID GOVERNMENT WAS FULLY AWARE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF ACHIEVING SATISFACTORY ARRANGEMENTS TO SAFEGUARD THEIR CONTINUED EASE OF TRAVEL.

+ IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THERE ARE OVER 1.7 MILLION RESIDENTS IN HONG KONG WHO QUALIFY FOR THE ISSUE OF CERTIFICATES OF IDENTITY AND OVER 900 000 CERTIFICATES OF IDENTITY ARE CURRENTLY IN CIRCULATION, HE SAID.

+OVER THE YEARS THE CERTIFICATE OF IDENTITY HAS ACHIEVED

A HIGH REPUTATION AND WIDE INTERNATIONAL ACCEPTABILITY.

+ I UNDERSTAND, SIR, THAT THE ISSUE WILL BE DISCUSSED BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP, HE SAID.

UK URGED TO LEAD IN RECOGNISING BN(0) PASSPORT

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THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN URGED TO DEVISE A SYSTEM OF RECOGNITION OF THE BRITISH NATIONAL (OVERSEAS) PASSPORT SO THAT IT IS AUTOMATICALLY GOOD FOR TRAVEL TO THE UK WITHOUT THE NEED FOR SPECIFIC PERMISSION ON EACH OCCASION OR FOR A CERTIFICATE OF ENTRY.

THE SUGGESTION WAS MADE BY THE HON JOHN SWAINE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

LEADING THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE ON THE WHITE PAPER ON THE DRAFT HONG KONG (BRITISH NATIONALITY) ORDER 1986, MR SWAINE SAID THIS WAS ONE FACET OF INTERNATIONAL ACCEPTABILITY WHICH WAS ENTIRELY WITHIN THE POWER OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.

/HE

HE RECALLED ...................